Tobyhanna supervisors grant Kalahari's TIF wish

A resort that many hope will be an economic game changer got another green light from officials Monday.

JENNA EBERSOLE

A resort that many hope will be an economic game changer got another green light from officials Monday.

Tobyhanna Township supervisors unanimously approved the creation of a tax incremental finance district for the Kalahari Resorts project.

The "TIF" district will divert property taxes on the project's first phase to repayment of a $26 million, 20-year bond for nearby infrastructure improvements. The $231.6 million water park/resort complex is proposed for the Pocono Manor property.

The decision came after similar approvals from Monroe County and the Pocono Mountain School District. Without the TIF district, taxes generated would have landed in the three entities' general funds.

Supervisors also approved an ordinance to create the Tobyhanna Township Neighborhood Improvement Authority, which will oversee bond repayments and have power to assess Kalahari directly if taxes on the initial project do not totally cover annual bond bills.

One Pocono Pines resident, Tom Keys, voiced the concern of some residents about possible unanticipated burdens on area taxpayers related to the resort.

But Solicitor Patrick Armstrong said that special assessments would apply only to Kalahari and Pocono Manor, not to residents. The Monroe County Industrial Development Authority is the entity issuing and taking out the bond, not the township, he said.

"It doesn't affect you at all — your property," she said. "It only affects the property that's being proposed."

Lamberton said after the meeting that the new authority's powers also add a kind of insulation to protect taxpayers from sharing in payment.

In May, the township approved the Kalahari land plan with a list of conditions.

Armstrong updated supervisors on the status of one, related to connecting to water and sewer lines. Discussion is continuing with Pocono Township on the lines that extend into its jurisdiction, he said. Coolbaugh Township also will likely need to be involved in an inter-municipal agreement, with gas lines that stretch across the township line.

Some supervisors also raised questions about liability for sidewalks and responsibility for snow removal and other upkeep, which are still being resolved.

Supervisor John Holahan asked if wear on roadways and shortening of their life spans due to increased traffic have been taken into account.

Supervisor John Kerrick said the issue will be studied when more details are nailed down about the roadway. "As soon as we know, we can have that discussion," he said.

Next week officials will consider the creation of a Neighborhood Improvement District, with final details likely settled between the developers and township in about a month, Lamberton said.